Don Oslear was a rarity in the modern game, a top English umpire with no first-class experience, and he came to the game relatively late, being 45 when he was appointed to the first-class panel. Within five years he was good enough to be picked to stand in the first of his five Tests and eight ODIs, the highlight being the 1983 World Cup semi-final. His final season was overshadowed by controversy surrounding ball tampering which dogged the 1982 series between England and Pakistan, with Oslear, in his role as a match referee, submitting a dossier to the ECB after the ball was changed during an ODI at Lord's. He subsequently claimed he had been sacked by the ECB, something they strenuously denied. When coloured kit was introduced for one-day domestic matches in 1993, Oslear, sporting a bright blue coat and baseball-style cap, walked out at the start of the first game carrying a crate of empty milk bottles and shouting "Milko". He continues to officiate in good-standard cricket. He was also an ice-hockey referee.Martin Williamson October 2008

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